Means for controlling aircraft, submarines, and like totally immersed craft or structures



Oct. 13, 1931. A. P. THURSTON 1,827,304

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING AIRCRAFT, SUBMARINES, ANDv LIKE TOTALLY IMMERSED CRAFT OR'STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Shem l 0 Iberi Prierfiurfiaoa I v e: NTQR:

Mlornq Oct. 13, 1931. A. P. THURSTON 1,827,304

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING AIRCRAFT, SUBMARINES, AND LIKE TOTALLY IMMERSED CRAFT OR STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 21. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 alberi Ba er Fwmtaa 'VENTOR; 81% v Attormy' Patented a. 13,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca ALBERT PETER THURSTON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND MEANS ron CONTZBDLLING amcnarr, sumanmns, am) LIKE- TOTALLY mmmsnn cum on srnuc'runns I Application filed December 21, 1925, Serial No. 827,595, and in Great Britain larch 18, 1928.

This invention relates to means for controlling aircraft, submarines or other totally immersed craft or structures such for example as kites and has for its primary object to improve the eificiency of such control whereby the resistance, weight and size of the said controls may be decreased and the performance and manoeuvrability of the said craft thereby increased.

According to this invention the control surfaces, such as the rudders, elevators or wing tip ailerons, are provided with a small rider plane, alula or aviette, preferably but not necessarily symmetrical 1n cross section, in tandem with or in front of the leading edge of the said control surface and means are provided for altering the inclination orposition of the said front rider plane relative to the control surface so that a gap of variable inclination may be formed at will between the rider plane and control surface inclined backwardly either upwardly or downwardly or away from one or other of the two sides of the control surface.

The control surfaces may be provided with another similar small rider plane or aviette in tandem with or behind the rear edge of the said control surface and means may be provided for altering the inclination or position similarly of this rear rider plane. A, hinged flap may be provided in'place of the above.

mentioned rear rider plane. The control sur- "faces may be pivoted towards their leading edges so as to turn freely about the usual axes, or they may in certain cases, be fixed and depend upon the front or frontand rear tandem planes for .their aerodynamical properties.

Tandem controlling planes as above set forth maybe mounted on the sides or tips of the fixed fins or tail planes in a similar way to the wing tip ailerons on the-main planes, so that when operated a bank of compression and suction is set up at thetips of the said fins and'tail planes which assists the control. a

The rudder, elevator and/or wing tip ailerons may be free to float in the air with relation to which they move and they may be 5 controlled from the usual control columns by cording to a preferred practicalexample of construction the tail unit is provided with a fixed tail plane and finhavmg the sides or' edges parallel with the longitudinal axis of the said unit. Plane symmetrical in cross .sectionare freely pivoted on the sides of the tail plane and fin so as to float about axes near their leading. edges and these planes respectively form the elevators and rudder. Small tandem planes also symmetrical in cross sec. tion are pivotally mounted in front of and behind the said elevators and rudder so as to turn about axes near their own leading edgesand they are connected together by suitable known linkage such as radius arms and a connecting rod or rods so asfto turn together in the same direction either at the 7 same or different rates. Thefront tandem plane is preferably not greater than half .the chord of the rear tandem plane and the rear tandem plane is preferably not greater than half the chord of the tail plane or fin. so

.T he rear tandem plane maybe rep'lacedby a hinged flap of usual construction. The said "rear tandem plane or hinged flap is controlled by any suitable known mechanism from the joy-stick or control column in the usual way. The rear plane or hinged flap may be dispensed with and the elevators or rudder may be controlled directly from the con-- trol column.

The wings may have wingtip ailerons similar to the above tandem control surfaces pivoted or floated on their ends or tips. These control surfaces may be controlled either directly or through their rear tandem plane or flap ,in'the usual way from the joy-stick or control column so that as one surface is depressed the other is raised either by the same or by a proportional 7 amount. Means for controlling machines as above described may also be provided or associated with alulas or small planes mounted on the leading edges of the main planes as in my prior British Patent 180,359 and patent applications Nos. 3,288/28, 3,289/28, 3,290/28, 3,291/28.

Various embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which will now be described. In these draw- 1ngs:-

Figure 1 is a plan showing the invention as applied to control surfaces constituting the elevators of an aeroplane.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a side view of the application of the steering means for an aeroplane.

Figure 4 is a plan of a modified form of elevating means for an aeroplane and according to the invention.

Figure 5 is a partial plan view of an aeroplane having wing tip ailerons according to the invention, and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5 on an enlarged scale.

Figure 1 is a lan and Figure 2 a section on the line 22 of Figure 1 showing the invention applied to control surfaces constituting the elevators of an aeroplane. In the plan view Figure 1, 1 indicates the tail portion of the fuselage of an aeroplane, 2 the fixed tail plane, 3 the fixed vertical fin and 3a the rudder, these parts being of usual construction. On each side edge of the fixed tail plane there is mounted an elevator plane 4 pivoted towards its leading edge on an axis 5. This plane is provided with forwardly and rearwardly extending fillets or brackets 6 between which are pivotally mounted on the axes 9, 10 forward and rear small rider planes 7, 8 respectively, in tandem with the elevator plane 4. Radlus rods 11, 12 are provided rigidly connected with the forward and rear small planes 7 and 8 and a radius rod 13 is rigidly connected to the fixed tail plane 2. The upper and lower extremities of the radius rod 13 are tied by cables 14 with the similar ends of the radius rod 11 and by cables 15 with the similar ends of radius rod 12. Also connected with the upper and lower ends of the radius rod 12 of the rear small plane 8 are upper and lower reaches 16, 16a of a control cable which passes over suitable guide pulleys 17 (Figure 1) forward to the cockpit. It will be seen that by shortening the upper reach 16 of the operating cable between the upper extremity of the radius arm 12 and a guide pulley situated adjacent to the axis 5, and lengthening the lower reach 16a the control plane 4 will be moved downwardly about its axis 5 and at the same time the rear small plane 8 pivoted between the fillets 6 integral with the plane 4 will be moved about its axis 10 in such manner that the leading edge is depressed sisted by the air pressure acting upon the rear small plane 8. During this movement andowing to the conuection of the front small plane 7 with the radius arm 13 fixed in relation to the fuselage, the said small plane will be moved angularly about its axis 9 in the same direction as the rear plane 8. One relative position of the parts after movement as just described is illustrated in those dotted lines in Figure 2 which show the control plane 4 at a positive angle of incidence. Also illustrated in Figure 2 in dotted lines the parts are shown in the reverse position with the control plane 4 inclined at a negative angle of incidence. It will be noted that any desired degree of relative angular movement may be secured between the control plane and the forward and rear small plane by suitable variation of the length of the several radius arms or, by varying the position at which the several tie cables 14 and 15 are attached to the said radius arms.

As a modification of the arrangement just described the control plane 4 with its fillets or brackets 6 carrying the small planes may be mounted so as to float freely upon the axis 5 and the radius rod 13 may also be freely pivoted about the same axis. In the case of operation of the cables 16,a as aforesaid the rear plane 8 ma be moved angularly and the movement 0 the control plane 4 will then be effected solely through the medium of the air pressure acting upon the rear small plane 8, the front small plane 7 being moved in the same angular direction as the small rear plane 8 owing to the interconnection by means of the cables 15, 15.

As another modification the control plane 4 may be moved positively and the radius arm 13 may be mounted rigidly therewith and a lost motion connection may be arranged in order that either or both of the front and rear small planes may be actuated only after a determined degree of angular movement of the main control plane has taken place.

Figure 3 illustrates the invention applied to constitute steering means for an aero' plane. In this figure, 3 is a fixed fin, 2 a

fixed tail plane, and 18 an elevator of usual construction. The upper edge of the fixed fin 3 is disposed parallel or substantially so with the longitudinal axis of the machine and upon it is mounted a control plane 4a with fillets 6a between which are pivotally mounted front and rear small planes 7a and 8a respectively. These planes may be controlled in a manner similar to that already described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the difference being that whereas in Fig ures 1 and 2 the movements are in a vertical plane, in the arrangement in Figure 3 the movements are in a horizontal plane.

Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating the case in which the tail unit of an aeroplane is provided with a fixed tail plane 2 afixed fin and a rudder 3a of normal construction. On the front and rear edges of the fixed tail plane there are mounted forward and rear small planes 7b and 8b pivoted respectively upon the axes 9b and 10b; The front and rear small planes are interconnected for example by means of radius arms and tie cables and are under the control of the pilot through the operating cables 16?) in such manner that on tensioning or relaxing these cables the front and rear small planes are moved simultaneously in the same angular direction.

Figure 5 is a partial plan view showing the invention applied as a wing tip aileron in the case of anaeroplane which is also provided with alulas or small planes 19 mounted'on the leading edges of the main supporting planes 20. Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation on the line 66 of Figure 5 and on a larger scale. The wing tip aileron comprises a main control surface 40 and the forward and rear small planes 7 0 and 80. The mounting and the control may be similar to that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and will be fully understood without further description. The alula or small plane 19 mounted on the leading edge of the main supporting v trol surface about its axis,

planes mounted plane or wing 20 is here shown as being of the automatic type mounted freely upon the wing by links 21.

I claim 1. In aircraft, a control surface, a pair of rider planes mounted, respectively, in front of the entering edge and behind the trailing edge of said control surface means for supporting the respective rider planes, and means for simultaneously and similarly altering the angular position of both planes relative the control surface.

2. In aircraft, a control surface, rider in front of and behind said supporting means mounting to swing with the conmeans connecting the rider planes with the control surface so that movement of a rider plane simultaneously moves the control surface and the other control surface, sa1d rider planes so as rider plane in a similar manner, and means for moving one of said rider planes.

3. In aircraft, a piv'oted control surface, front and rear rider planes mounted for arcuate movement relative to the axis of the control surface, means for positively changing the angular position of one rider plane and simultaneously said control surface, said rider planes arranged to form variable gaps relative the respective entering and trailing edges 'of the control surface and through aerodynamic reaction to increase the angular movement initiated by the positive means, said rider planes arranged for simultaneous and similar change of angular position.

4. In aircraft, a pivotal axis, a control surface operably mounted'on said axis, support members mounted to swing with the control surface-relative the axis, fore and aft rider planes pivotally mounted on the support member, means for operably associating the rider planes and control surface so that movement of the control surface on its axis is responsive and proportional to the movement of one of said rider planes on its axis, means for posltively moving one of said rider planes on its axis, and means for simultaneously and similarly moving the other rider plane on its arms.

5. In aircraft, a control surface, supporting members extending in front and in rear of said control surface and oscillatable about an axis extending through said control surface, rider planes pivotally mounted on said 9 

